FORAMLAB: Micropalaeontology Research Group
Micropalaeontology is the branch of palaeontology that studies microscopic organisms, including their morphology, ecology, evolution and distribution based on the fossil remains, as well as the genetic code of present-day living forms. Foraminifera are one of the most important microfossil groups due to their diversity and abundance, as are other groups such as dinoflagellates, coccolithophores, radiolarians, diatoms, pollen, ostracods and conodonts. Microfossils are among the most widely used organisms in applied geological and palaeontological studies.
The main mission of FORAMLAB (Micropalaeontology Research Group of the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona) is to study and document palaeobiodiversity in marine environments of past geological epochs, focusing on foraminifera and other related organisms, and their application in the dating of sedimentary deposits (biostratigraphy) and in palaeoenvironmental studies (palaeoecology) and distribution studies (paleobiogeography), all to serve science and society.
- Museum manager for this line of research: Vicent Vicedo
- Main projects and articles: Via this link you will find the Group’s main research projects and articles on micropalaeontology.
Foraminifera: source of data on marine environments
What are foraminifera?
Foraminifera are single-cell organisms with a mineral skeleton, which have mainly been found in marine environments for the last 500 million years. They can have a planktonic lifestyle, in suspension in the water column, or benthic, in close relationship with the substrate.
Their range in size from tens of microns to several centimetres and can be considered one of the most abundant and diverse biotic groups in marine ecosystems, found in a variety of habitats from the intertidal zone to the deep ocean. A cubic centimetre of sediment or rock (in the case of fossils) can contain hundreds of specimens.
Palaeodiversity in foraminifera
The precise identification of species of foraminifera, through the analysis of the architecture of their mineral skeleton, is a key process for any further applied use—biostratigraphical, palaeobiogeographical or palaeoecological—of this group.
Correct identification is essential in the characterisation of the palaeobiodiversity of marine ecosystems, both present and past. Having as complete an inventory as possible of the different existing life forms is necessary to reach any subsequent conclusions on the real impact that environmental crises have on populations and that lead to patterns of adaptation or extinction.
Foraminifera in palaeoenvironmental reconstructions
Planktonic and benthic foraminifera are sensitive to changes in the availability of nutrients and the environmental conditions. So, they are good indicators of variations in the physical and chemical parameters such as temperature, salinity, depth, latitude, etc. both now and in past geological epochs.
Foraminifera as a dating tool
Fossil associations of these organisms are very useful for defining the age of the sedimentary deposits they are found in, and are therefore considered as extraordinary guide fossils in biostratigraphy. This use of foraminifera is essential in studies on the evolution of sedimentary basins, for both academic and industrial (extraction of natural resources) purposes.